New Life
by Krisuvial
Summary: Max and the Flock don't know each other yet. They live in different parts of the country and have different lives. That is, until someone decides to start something called the "Angel Experiment". These six kids have been chosen to participate in it, without their consent, of course. This is the story of how the kids meet and learn not only how to trust each other, but to survive.
1. Introduction

**Hey y'all! Krisuvial here. This story just came to me today. Literally three hours ago (it's 1:30 AM now). So here you go! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Maximum Ride series or any of the plots, ideas, or places found therein. Nor do I own any _actual_ place, store, or brand.**

**Claimer: I own any and all characters, plots, ideas, places, brands, and stores ****not in the MR series or real life found ****herein.**

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Full summery: Everyone in the Flock started out as normal humans, from different parts of the country. Max was the tough football-playing girl who had recently moved to a small town in Washington state. Fang was the quiet loner from a huge school in the Big Apple about to be evicted from his home. Nudge was the popular girl from Los Angeles, California who had everything and then some. Iggy was the funny, blind guy from Washington, D.C. that everyone loved and trusted. Gazzy and Angel were siblings from Colorado, raised in multiple foster homes who were about to be adopted. This is the story of how everyone met at a science lab affectionately called the School, where untold horrors would await them.

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_I never thought that life could be_

_Changed so very drastically._

_Just one event could change my life,_

_Confuse my knowledge of dark and light._

_Right and wrong we so clear before_

_Now the difference is as vast as the shore._

_To think a pain worse than this exists_

_Is such a foreign thought._

_All the pain I've had in life_

_Is nothing like what is to come._

_Just one event has changed my life,_

_And now I don't know what to do._

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**_Maxine "Max" Martinez:_**_ Age 15, sophomore. Skipped the third grade. Born in Arizona and moved to Washington three days before the story takes place. Has two younger half-siblings, Ella (13) and Ari (8). Lives with mom Valeria "Val" Martinez and step-dad Roy Valero. Does not know who her birth father is but believes he is a good guy and wants to live with him. Enjoys playing football and blasting rock music._

_**Nicolas "Fang" Rossi**: Age 15, freshman. Born and raised in New York City, New York. Has lived in and been evicted from a few different apartments around the city with his too-young parents. Lives with Rebecca "Becca" Mason and Robert "Rob" Rossi. Has no siblings. Is usually quiet and does not let things bother him. Loves to drink and get drunk as an escape._

_**James "Iggy" Griffen I**V: Age 14, freshman. Born in Nova Scotia, Canada and lives in Washington, D.C. with his single father, James "Jim" Griffen III. Goes to a school for the blind where he is an average student grade-wise. He is friends with just about everyone and loves to make everyone laugh. Enjoys cooking and playing video games._

_**Monique "Nudge" Rogers**: Age 12, seventh grade. Lives in Los Angeles, California with her single mom, Michelle Rogers. Has no siblings but does have a large extended family. Is one of the most popular girls at her school. Loves to talk, shop, and go to the beach._

_**Aaron "Gassman" West**: Age 9, fourth grade. Lives in Pueblo, Colorado. Parents died in a car accident when he was four. Has been living in different foster homes since then with sister Angel. Currently lives with "Miss Amy" who plans to adopt the siblings. Enjoys camping and using guns._

_**Angel West**: Age 7, second grade. Lives in Pueblo, Colorado. Parents died in a car accident when she was two. Has been living in different foster homes since then with brother Aaron. Currently lives with "Miss Amy" who plans to adopt the siblings. Enjoys dancing and make-believe._

"Very good work, Martin."

Martin looked up nervously. This was only the second time he'd been in the presence of the director. The man terrified him, and everyone else who worked for him.

"Th-thank you, Sir," Martin replied.

"You know, I'm very impressed," the director began. "I've had may people search for the candidates for my "Angel Experiment" and so far they all disappointed me. I honestly hadn't expected much when you came to me before, but I can see that I was wrong. I am promoting you to Manager of the Angel Experiment. I trust you can handle this?"

"Oh, yes, Sir," Martin said. "Thank you."

"You will only answer to me from now on," the director continued. "You will receive a one-hundred thousand dollar raise, and a fifty-thousand dollar bonus. This contract spells everything out for you. The most important thing in the whole contract is that you must never talk about what goes on in your department outside of your wing. It is _crucial_ to the experiment. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir," Martin said.

"You know the details of the "Angel Experiment", am I right?" the director wondered.

"I do, Sir," Martin answered. "We are fusing animal DNA into that of human DNA."

The director nodded. "Take that contract home and read it. I want you to understand everything in it perfectly. There are no loopholes, so you need to agree with it one-hundred percent or I will find someone else to fill the position. Go home to your family and enjoy the weekend."

"Thank you again, Sir," Martin said as he left.

The door softly clicked shut as the younger man left. The director turned back to he paper with the six names on it.

"These are perfect candidates," he stated to himself. "So very different. I can't wait to meet them all in person."

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**And that's the introduction! What do you think? I've tried to be completely original with my ideas while sticking as close to character as possible. **

**Do you want to see a short version of how everyone ends up at the lab, all in one chapter? Or longer versions for everyone, each having their own full chapter? **

**I'm not sure if this story should be "T" or "M" yet, so for now I will stick to "T". There won't be anything dirty in my writing, but I don't know how much I'm going to go into detail about their time at the School. Oh well, we'll see.**

**As for my other story, it's temporarily permanently on hiatus. I'm not sure when/if I'm ever going to find the passion to finish it. But for now I'm done with it.**

**I'm not very set on this title. If anyone has any ideas, please feel free to let me know. I just can't come up with a decent on right now!**

**Read and review, my lovely fellow fanfictioners! And by the way, I don't allow anonymous reviews. It's not that hard to make an account ^-^ And that way I can reply to your review (which I almost always do).**

**-Krisuvial-**


	2. Chapter 1: Max

**Hey everyone! Chapter One is here! **

**Shout-out to Flygrrl for pointing out an error in the intro! In Angel's mini-bio, it is supposed to say "_Has been living in different foster homes since then with brother Aaron" _instead of _"sister Angel"_. **

**There is mention of abuse in this chapter. But it helps to explain how Max became strong and why she's still home.**

**This is in MAX 1st person POV. **

**Enjoy.**

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This town sucks.

A lot.

"Max, get up!"

"I'm awake, Mom," I groaned. I sat up, stretching my sore muscles. After my run yesterday, everything hurt.

I changed quickly. Underclothes, a long-sleeve shirt, a normal t-shirt, jeans, and a jacket. I tightly laced on my boots and grabbed my backpack. Up here in the mountains it started snowing early, and I didn't want any of it to touch my skin.

It was like poison to me.

"Ari, let's go," I said, pounding on my younger brother's door. He was eight. I was fifteen.

"I'm downstairs, Max!" my brother yelled.

I slid down the banister of our staircase, ruffling his hair when I reached the bottom.

"Max..." Mom admonished. "I've told you before not to slide down the bannister."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," I muttered. I grabbed the apple she offered me. "Remind me again why we had to move?"

"Max, honey," Mom sighed. Ugh. I _hate_ when she uses her I'm-so-sick-of-you-asking-me-this-again voice. It was always laced with annoyance and anger. "I know moving from Arizona to Washington is a big change. But it's for Dad. He's got to move with the company."

I rolled my eyes. "Why can't I go live with _my _dad?" I demanded. "I hate it here. And Roy hates me."

"Max, you don't even know your father," Mom reminded me.

"I..." I began as Roy, my step dad, walked into the room. I fell silent. He gave me a warning look not to speak any more. I knew better than to disobey _that _order.

"Ready for work, Love?" Mom asked Roy. They kissed and I looked away. Gross.

"Ew," Ari mumbled. Mom and Roy laughed as the separated.

I heard soft footsteps come down the stairs. "Finally, Ella," I sighed, turning to my younger sister. She took forever to get ready in the morning. She was thirteen, almost fourteen. She looked exactly like our mom, and a little like her dad. I looked more like my dad. I only had my mom's brown eyes. Ari looked mostly like his dad.

"C'mon," I ordered, finishing my apple."Ella, Ari, let's go."

There were two good things about the move. One is that I got my own room. The second is that I got a car.

A Ford Mustang.

And it was all mine.

I dropped Ella and Ari off at the primary school and made my way to the high school. I was a sophomore. It was my third day at the new school. I'd made a few friends, but not many. It would have been easier if I was allowed to play on the football team like at my old school. But here I wasn't allowed. And my parents refused to fight the school to let me play.

I absolutely hated everything about the school. The fact that there was slightly over one hundred students in each class was one. Everyone knew everyone. Which made making friends that much harder. They were mostly all middle-to-upper class white kids. I was half-Hispanic and lower middle class. The girls were just that, _girls._ I was a tom-boy. I never wore dresses or skirts or even "blouses". I hated pink more than anything. I even sang a low Alto. I just didn't fit in with these kids.

School went by as usual. I was exempt from all my midterms since I transferred before they took theirs. And I had already taken them in Arizona. I got to spend most of the day in the library, which was just fine with me. I loved to read.

I picked up my siblings at three and went straight home. We would be alone until four when Roy would get home. Mom worked until nine at the vet. I didn't mind watching my siblings during this time. I really loved kids and they always listened to me.

I made us a snack and we did our homework in the kitchen. Well, I helped Ari and Ella with theirs. I had none, thanks to finals.

We heard Roy's truck pull up into the driveway at four-fifteen. Ella and Ari ran upstairs to finish their assignments. I started preparing for supper.

"Good news, Maxine," Roy said, coming up behind me.

"What?" I wondered innocently, mixing together the ingredients for pasta.

"I had a pretty good day at work," my step-dad announced.

_Thank God_, I thought. Maybe he would leave me alone then.

Roy watched me put the pasta in the oven. It would be ready at five.

I turned around, thinking Roy had left. I was shocked to see him still in the room, blocking my exit. My face was perfectly blank, though. I never let him see the pain he caused me.

"It's a good thing we're here now," Roy told me. "That way the cuts and bruises you get won't be noticed, since it's too cold to wear tank-tops."

I mentally shivered. He loved abusing me. That's why I got into football in the first place, back in Arizona. People stopped asking about my bruises after I started playing. They just assumed I got them from the physical sport. It helped that I truly enjoyed playing and was good at it, too.

"Why can't I play football, if you don't plan on stopping?" I wondered.

Roy smirked, grabbing my arm. "You don't need it here. No one will question you wearing long-sleeves every day here like they did back in Arizona. And I don't see a reason to let you do something you enjoy. We'd spend less time together."

"The less, the better," I muttered.

"Remember, be a good girl and I won't hurt the other two," Roy whispered in my ear. "You'll be a good girl and take it, right?"

He hurt me for the next half hour or so. I had to put up with it. There was no way I'd let either Ari or Ella take even one hit if I could help it. I'm the one who talked back to Mom and Roy. They were actually decent kids and didn't deserve it.

My siblings came down when I called them. Both knew their dad abused me daily but were too scared to say anything about it. And I didn't blame them. I only stayed around to protect them. I knew Roy wouldn't think twice before hurting one of them if I wasn't here to take all the hits.

Supper went by silently. One of Roy's "friends" came over as I was putting away the dishes after we were done. Ari and Ella were outside playing in the snow.

"So this is the girl?" Roy's friend wondered.

I spun around. Roy was nodding, both watching me.

"_Excuse me_?" I asked.

"She _does_ have an attitude," the friend muttered. "I'm not sure Jeb would approve."

Jeb. Somehow that name sounded familiar.

"Well, she doesn't get it from her mom, that's for sure," Roy said with a little laugh. Uck. "Just take her. Tell Jeb to deposit the money in my account."

I glared at Roy. What was he doing?

Wait. Jeb. My _dad_ Jeb? Why would his friend be taking me to my father? That didn't make sense.

"Maxine, go with my friend Martin," Roy ordered.

"As if," I snorted. "What makes you think I'd go anywhere with a man I don't know?"

"Aren't you dying to know who your real father is?" Roy asked. "Jeb Batchelder. Martin can take you to him. Then we never have to see each other again."

I narrowed my eyes at my step-father. "How do I know you're not just trying to get rid of me so you can abuse the others?"

"I actually like them," Roy stated. "I wouldn't hurt them. As you've seen."

I relaxed a little. As far as I could tell he was telling the truth. I had a sixth sense about things like that.

Martin shook his head. "I work for Jeb. Your father. He sent me here to get you, Max. He wants to meet you and get to know you."

I turned my attention to Martin. He was telling the truth too.

"Does Mom know?" I asked.

"Sure she does," Roy said. I couldn't tell if that was the truth or not. It seemed like it was "She's perfectly ok with it, after that display this morning."

"I'll never have to see you again?" I wondered.

Roy nodded. "Don't worry, I'm just as happy as you are."

I examined Martin. He seemed like he would be pretty lame in a fight.

"I want to talk to him before I leave," I decided. "Martin, do you have my dad's phone number?"

Martin smirked. He pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number. "Sir?" he asked. "I'm at Max's house. She wants to talk to you before she comes with me."

Silence for a few seconds.

"Here, Max," Martin said, offering me the phone. I took it and placed it to my ear.

"Dad?" I asked.

"Hey there, Maxie," Jeb, my dad, answered. His voice sounded so familiar. As did that nickname. "It's great to hear you again. You were only five the last time I saw you."

"I don't remember seeing you when I was little," I sighed. "But I remember your voice. Am I coming to stay with you permanently?"

"Not permanently," my dad replied. "Your mother still has custody, legally. But she agreed to let me see you for a few days. I've got plenty of stuff out here for you. Go with Martin and I'll see you in a few hours."

"Ok," I agreed. "See you soon, Dad."

I handed the phone back to Martin. Roy looked at me expectantly.

"Well?" he demanded.

"It's not permanent," I informed him.

"For now," Roy muttered. "Just go, before I change my mind."

Martin led me to his car. I sat in the passenger seat and buckled myself in, suddenly wondering if this was really smart to do. But Jeb was my dad. His voice sounded familiar. And I really wanted to get away from Roy, even if just for a few days.

Martin climbed into the car and sped off. We ended up at a small airport.

"Jeb has a private jet we'll take to Las Vegas and from there go into California where he lives," he told me. I nodded and followed him into the jet. He was still telling the truth.

"Tell me about my dad," I requested.

"Well, I honestly don't know that much about him," Martin told me. "He's a scientist and is very dedicated to his work."

"What kind of science?" I wondered, interested. I loved science.

"He works in DNA," Martin told me.

"What does he do?" I asked. This might be more fun than I imagined.

"He's the director," Martin answered. "He comes up with experiments and tests for us to carry out. Is this something you're interested in?"

"I think so," I said. "I love science, especially DNA and genetics. In fact, the last paper I wrote at my old school was about combining different species' DNA. It was hard to find any information on the subject, and even harder to determine if it would be successful."

"What did you come up with?" Martin wondered, interested.

"I said it would be impossible to determine without actually carrying out the experiment," I answered. "But that would be illegal and unethical to do, so..."

"True," Martin said. But he didn't sound convinced.

A flight attendant offered us some food then, before we could talk more. As soon as we finished Martin drifted off, so I decided to watch a movie for the rest of the short flight.

When the plane landed we got into another car exactly like the black one we started in. The drive wasn't too long, but I fell asleep for most of it. Morning was just starting to arrive when we pulled into a large fenced-off compound.

"Where are we?" I asked sleepily as the car stopped.

"Your new home," Martin informed me.

"Huh?" I wondered. "I thought I was only staying here for a few days?"

"You'll be here until you die, Max," Martin informed me. "That paper you wrote? Jeb already has it. Roy sent it to him shortly after you left last night."

A few large men came over to the car. One opened my door and yanked me out, snapping the seat belt in the process. The other two grabbed my arms as I tried to wiggle free.

They carried me into the main building. I kicked and kicked but none of my hits phased these men. They were just too well built to be hurt it seemed.

I was carried down hall after hall, up and down stairs. I tried to memorize the path, but failed miserably. We finally stopped inside a smaller room, full of empty dog crates.

_It is rumored that there is a science lab here in the USA that the government uses to do illegal experiments in. The buildings are invisible looking down above the land. Inside is room after room of experiments, kept in cages hardly big enough for them. These experiments are all humans, or at least partially so. Some are the attempts at making super-humans. They use everything the comic-book superheros did to become super. Most fail. Others are having their intelligence and strengths forcibly maximized. Some experiments are only part-humans. They have animal DNA mixed into their human DNA. This paper examines whether or not it is truly possible for animal and human DNA to be mixed._

"It's true," I whispered. "Is my dad the one who created all this?"

"Yes, Maxie. I created this whole idea of combing animal and human DNA. This is my life's work. And you are going to be the first to test my biggest hypothesis yet."

A forty-something-year-old man step into view. He looked like me. Same hair, same face.

"Dad?" I asked, praying it wasn't really him. Praying this wasn't happening.

"Maxie, Maxie, Maxie," my dad said. "Welcome home."

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**What do you think? I tried to keep Max as in-character as possible, but everyone I write will be somewhat OOC. That's the joy of FanFiction! **

**Since I have no idea how to turn of Anonymous reviews, I'm going to allow them ^-^ Please, if there's something you don't like, just send me constructive criticism. I monitor my guest reviews and will delete hate mail. If you don't like it, don't read it. That's what I do.**

**Review, my lovely FanFictioners! I truly appreciate it and it helps me know I'm not just writing for a wall (though I do that anyway...).**

**-Krisuvial-**


	3. Chapter 2: Max at the School

**Hey y'all! Here's another chapter! Sorry it's so incredibly short and un-me like!**

**Thank you all for your reviews, by the way! They make me so happy ^-^**

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Never in my life had it been so hard to keep from screaming or crying. Not when I broke two different bones in my leg in fourth grade. Not when Roy started abusing me or during the worst of his abuse. Not when I was tackled- unsuspectingly- for the first time on the football field.

This was excruciating.

Jeb, the man who claimed to be my biological father, was torturing me here in this Hell-on-Earth. Every limit I could imagine, and then some, were being tested. Continuously. And I was powerless to stop it.

At least one month had gone by since I last saw my mom and half-siblings. I'm not sure how long exactly, but I figured one month was a good start. It was impossible to tell time here. Nothing came when I expected it to. There were no clocks to look at. There weren't even any windows to look out of.

The worst part was that I was alone. Completely, utterly alone. Most of the time, anyway. But when I wasn't alone, I was in too much pain to register the presence of others.

I hated being alone. At home I always had my siblings. At school I'd always had friends. I was rarely ever by myself. Being alone in my room doesn't even count, since Ella and I had shared a room since she was born.

Any extra weight I'd had from my old life was gone. Not that it was much. I hardly got to eat anything here. For a girl who could eat an entire steak dinner on her own in one sitting, this was Hell.

The worst part was that I was kept in a dog cage. Just like I'd read about during my research. I could barely sit up in this thing. Mine was just a bit too small for me. When I questioned why I didn't get one of the two bigger ones in the room, I was told they were being saved for other people.

Other people like me.

At first I didn't understand that. Other people, _like me_? I was a normal, average human. Well, maybe not normal or average. But I was still pretty much an ordinary human.

It all made sense to me the week after I arrived. All the blood-work and body scans they did. All of the machines they hooked me up to everyday, testing something different. It was all a part of the Angel Experiment.

Jeb (I _will not_ call him my father) refused to divulge the details of his Angel Experiment until it was time for me to play my part. I still had my suspicions, though. My research had been pretty spot-on for something that was supposed to be just a legend.

It all happened so quickly. I was brought in for testing, like normal, and had been drugged. I know I was awake for the surgery, but I still can't remember what all happened. When I woke up, I had wings. I was noticeably lighter. My bones felt less dense. My heart-rate was faster. And I was starving.

I still received the same amount of food. Before long I was too weak to fight against the Whitecoats as I chose to call them. Someone mentioned that my body required at least three thousand calories to perform normally. I wasn't getting half that. I was alive on adrenaline alone, wanting to die.

Little did I know that the next "experiment" to arrive in my Hell would be the one who would give me a reason to live.

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**Please don't hate me for the shortness! But I really wanted to post a chapter of Max at the School. And then I realized that not much happens until the others show up. Anyways, I'll be posting Chapter Three within the next twenty-four hours. It's all written, I just need to read it a few times to make sure it's ok!**

**Keep Calm and Read FanFiction!**

**Keep Calm and Review!**

**-Krisuvial-**


	4. Chapter 3: Fang

**Hey guys! Thanks to my lovely reviewers! You make my day!**

**Here's your Fang chapter! He is somewhat OOC... But not much I believe. Enjoy ^-^**

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Out of all the schools he'd been to, Fang hated this one the most. Two gangs went here. One that controlled his neighborhood, and one one that wanted him dead. The one that controlled his neighborhood was the only thing protecting him from death at the moment. It wasn't his gang, but he paid them with drugs to watch his back. He wasn't allowed to join the gang- which suited him just fine- since he still had ties to his old gang in another district. It was just a good thing he had drug dealers for parents.

_Briiing!_ The obnoxiously loud bell that signaled the start of class silenced the room full of freshmen. The teacher, Mr. Walker, was easily the most hated teacher in the whole school. And he seemed to have a special hate just for Fang.

"Put everything away!" Mr. Walker ordered. "We have an exam on chapter nine today."

He started passing out the tests. Some of the students groaned, having forgotten to study. Fang was indifferent. He hadn't bothered to study. Without studying he'd be able to get a perfect score. The classes were just too easy for him. He was in regular classes as opposed to the advanced classes the school wanted him in because he never bothered to show his parents the letters sent home about it, and his grades weren't high enough since he never bothered to do any homework or projects outside of class.

"Rossi," Mr. Walker muttered, handing Fang a blank test. Fang smirked as he took the paper. The teacher had hated him ever since he proved him wrong on a test at the start of school.

_C, D, A, C, A, B, D, E, C, A, C, C, C, _Fang thought, scribbling the correct letter on the blank line by each question.

Mr. Walker grabbed the test when he saw Fang was done, giving him another dirty look. Fang merely smirked again and leaned back, switching on his iPod and putting on his black earbuds. 80s rock drowned out the classroom noises as he looked out the classroom window.

Nearly five songs later, the school bell rang, signaling the end of the day. Fang stood up, shoving his hands into the pocket of his black hoodie, and silently left the room. He lived just three blocks from the school, less than a ten-minute walk. He wasn't worried about being jumped since they were busy streets. He wouldn't have to worry unless he went farther than the school.

Fang climbed the stiars to his ninth-floor apartment. He refused to take the elevator, unless he was completely wasted. He had extreme claustrophobia. He was never relaxed. Well, except for the two times he'd been outside of the city with his grandparents when he was little. Out in the country he felt free.

The apartment was quiet. Fang figured his parents were out. It was never quiet when they were home. The TV (if they had power and cable) would be blaring. Usually his parents would be fighting. It was quite peaceful when he was alone. Which happened more often than not.

Fang went straight for the balcony. Out here he could relax a little. He felt safe so high up. He had no fear of heights.

Before too long he heard a door slam. Fang watched through the sliding fake-glass door as his parents came into view and argued inside the apartment. They always argued about the same thing: money.

The little balcony overlooking a dead end alley in Queens district, New York City was his sanctuary. Out here he could pretend that everything was alright. That he wasn't the drunken mistake of two immature teenagers. That they lived anywhere but the gang-ridden city. That they weren't constantly being evicted from the different apartments they sought refuge in. That he hadn't had to switch school districts three times already in only nine years. That his family had enough money to afford food _and _pay bills.

Fang sighed, looking over the balcony. Night was falling rapidly and a few gangsters were leaning against the brick wall opposite his building. They were dressed to be out in the winter air. There had been little snow since December began, but the temperature never rose above forty degrees Fahrenheit. Not that the cold bothered him. He rarely had heat in any of his apartments. His parents never bothered to pay the bills.

An older man walked into the alley, his hands in his pockets. A large messenger bag hung around his shoulders. He met the trio of gangsters and pulled a package out of his bag. Fang could see that it was a small brown box. Fang knew inside would be an assortment of drugs just by the way the three gangsters stared at it. He wasn't sure what they were saying, but he knew the three boys were not planning to pay the man.

The bigger of the three grabbed the man and pushed him up against the wall. Fang turned his head as the second biggest pulled out a knife. His parents' arguing was sufficient enough to drown out the violence below.

A few minutes went by. Fang's parents fell silent. He turned to look back at the alley. The three gangsters were gone, the messenger bag with them. The man they attacked was still alive, now starting to limp away. More unsavory citizens began making their way into the alley, heading for the abandoned building in the back. The local gang's base.

"Nick! Get in here!"

Fang sighed and returned to the apartment. His mom smiled at him. She was only thirty. She had had Fang when she was fifteen, and his dad nineteen. Which made his dad thirty-four.

They were too young to have a teenage kid.

"Mom?" Fang asked.

"Here, honey," his mom greeted. She handed him a bowl of mac-n-cheese.

"Thanks," Fang sighed. All they ever had to eat was mac-n-cheese. That, rice, or beans. Mac-n-cheese was the cheapest thing to buy that required the least amount of work.

Fang sat at the table. He looked over at the couch and saw his dad lying there, passed out. Fang's mom sighed as she downed a glass of some strawberry alcoholic drink. She stood in front of the fridge that wasn't on.

"Mom, are you drunk?" Fang asked, eating his supper slowly. The slower he ate, the closer to full he felt in the end.

"I wish," his mom answered. "Then maybe we wouldn't have fought again." She poured a glass of Tequila. "Here, baby. Have some."

Fang smirked as he took the glass of Tequila. The only good thing about his parents being so young was that they weren't very smart. He was smarter than both of them combined. Apparently they never learned that alcohol was bad for you, like he had at school. Not that he listened to the lectures.

"You sure, Mom?" Fang wondered, motioning to the warm glass in his hand. She's never given him straight Tequila before. His dad had, when he was a bit younger, to silence him. But never his mom.

"Of course, my baby," his mom replied. She looked up at the clock. "Hmmm, the clock isn't working."

Fang drank half the glass in one gulp. "Mom, the power company shut off the power last night."

"Oh," his mom sighed. "Damn it. I guess that explains why no one called today."

Fang finished his glass. His mom refilled it.

"Thanks," Fang said. He was happy his parents were so easy-going about drinking alcohol.

"Well, we suck as parents," his mom announced. Fang frowned, but said nothing. It wasn't like he disagreed with that. They acted more like friends to him, albeit much older than he, ever since he was born. His teachers thought his mom was really an older sister. She barely _looked_ twenty-one. "Since we can't really give you anything, or even feed you enough, the least we can give you is some yummy drinks to make it all ok!"

Fang rolled his eyes and finished his supper. His parents believed alcohol made everything better. Which it did, for a short time. Then everything would come crushing back down, making you feel miserable again. And the cycle would continue. Depression, drinking, happiness, sober, depression.

"Why haven't you run away?" his mom suddenly asked, refilling his glass again.

Fang shrugged. It wasn't like he hadn't thought about it. But at least with his parents he had a home- most of the time. And they got him out of whatever trouble he got into.

He could tell she wanted to make him drunk. Since tomorrow was Saturday, he figured it would be ok. She hated when he heard his parents fight and usually tried to fix it by getting him drunk. Not that it really fixed anything, but he figured it was the thought that counted. That, or she wanted to do things Fang would rather not think about with his father while he was out cold.

Either way, he'd be drunk soon. He could already feel his head buzzing thanks to the straight alcohol he was drinking. He had built up a pretty good intolerance over the years, but straight Tequila was too much for him.

"I always thought you'd run away," his mom continued as he drank again. "Because we suck as parents. I ran away from my parents when I was thirteen. And Jack ran away from his when he was seventeen. That's when we met, baby."

Fang nodded. He knew this all.

"What's up with your nickname?" his mom wondered, completely changing the topic. "Fang?"

"Gang name, Mom," Fang answered, his words slurring. Everyone he knew in the city belonged to a gang. Well, he didn't anymore. They moved out of his gang's territory and there was no way he'd be caught in enemy territory with his gang's symbols on him.

"Finish up the bottle, love," his mom gently ordered, emptying the rest of t bottle into his glass. "You don't need to remember what happens for now."

Fang frowned, trying to figure out what that meant. He finished his glass as someone knocked on the door. The room spun as he stood up, attempting to answer it. He saw his mom make her way to the door and open it. What appeared to be a man stood in the door.

"Why, hello, Martin!" his mom exclaimed. "Do you have the money and the stuff?"

"I do," the man, Martin, replied. "Is he ready to go?"

"Yes, he is!" Fang's mom announced, opening the door wider and motioning to the drunken boy.

"He's drunk," Martin muttered, entering the room.

"Well, he'd never go sober," his mom responded, annoyed. "He gets very combative when he's angry. Or doesn't want to do something."

Fang felt a hand on his arm. "C'mon, boy," Martin ordered.

"Huh?" Fang asked, trying not to stumble as he was pulled. "Wh-where?"

"I'm taking you far away," Martin answered vaguely. "Let's go."

"Don' wanna," Fang muttered, trying to pull away. His head spun more as he tried to shake free. "Ugh..."

"Go honey," his mom encouraged. "Here's one for the road!"

A cool can was placed in his free hand as he stumbled out the door. He was forced into an elevator and brought down to the ground floor. A black car was waiting right outside. Martin forced him into the passenger seat.

Fang struggled to open the can as the car started moving. Martin watched from the corner of his eye, amused, as he navigated the streets of New York City.

"No seat belt?" Martin asked Fang.

Fang looked up, trying to focus on the man. "Nah," he finally answered looking out the window as blurry buildings went by. He took a sip of the drink in his hands, making a face. "Ugh."

"Not a fan of beer?" Martin wondered.

"Not r'lly," Fang muttered. "Where we goin'?"

"West," Martin stated. "It won't take long. We'll get on a jet outside of the city."

Fang shivered. He hated planes. Good thing he was so drunk. He'd be passed out soon enough.

He managed to stay awake long enough to get onto the private jet. Actually, Martin forced him to stay awake that long. He didn't want to carry the boy.

Fang fell over onto the couch and shut his eyes. In seconds he was deeply asleep.

* * *

**How was it? Good, bad? I need to know please! I don't think Fang was too OOC. Up next is another School chapter, followed by Iggy! My sister-in-real-life wrote it and is dying for me to post it (she's on FF too, Malfoyy). How will Max and Fang react to each other? We shall find out soon!**

**Peace out.**

**-Krisuvial-**

**P.S. I named my new(to me) car Fang!**


	5. Chapter 4: Fang at the School

**Hey! I have to do a song in American Sign Language (or a story) and I need to learn it by Thursday night... It's so not happening yet. Any suggestions? Song or story? Something easy that lasts at least three minutes!**

**Anyways, chapter four here! Thank you for all your amazing reviews! Enjoy!**

* * *

**FANG 3rd Person POV**

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

Fang opened his eyes. He looked around the bright hospital-like room.

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

He was alone, lying on a metal bed. He could feel two different IVs in his arms. There were other different things attached to him, the other ends attached to machines.

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

He tried to get up. But his arms and legs wouldn't move. He growled when he saw the metal cuffs holding him down to the table. He struggled against them but couldn't break free.

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

He managed to wiggle the heart monitor off of him. The beeping was just too annoying to deal with.

"Good, you're awake," a voice said. Fang looked around but couldn't find the source.

"Where am I?" Fang demanded. "Who are you?"

The voice chuckled. "Where you are doesn't matter, Nicolas. And my name is Jeb."

Fang glared at the ceiling. There just had to be a way out...

"You won't be able to escape," Jeb warned.

"Bite me," Fang muttered.

"Now, now," Jeb admonished. "I made sure those straps were stronger than you. Which was no easy feat since we weren't sure how strong you'd be after the surgery..."

"Surgery?" Fang questioned, nervous. He hated hospitals and needles and anything to do with either.

"I'm sure you'll discover soon enough," Jeb answered. "You should be able to feel again soon. In the meantime, I want you to see something."

Fang's bed tilted so he was looking at the wall opposite him. The wall started to sink into the floor below, leaving behind a one-way window. A girl who looked about his age was standing in the center of the room, clearly about to fight something. She was extremely tense and kept looking around nervously. Fresh and dried blood matted her dirty-blonde mid-back length hair. She wore a thin cotton dress than had numerous cuts and blood stains on it.

She was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.

A bell rang. The girl shivered as a door opened. Five well-built men entered the room, morphing into wolf-like beings. They circled the girl with wicked grins on their ugly faces.

"What are they?" Fang asked allowed, amazed and terrified. He winced as he felt a bit of pain in his back.

"These are our first ever successes at combing animal and human DNA," Jeb answered. "These guys have wolf DNA in them."

Just then the girl turned her back to Fang. He noticed that she had wings folded up against her back. His eyes bugged as she started to fight.

"What the hell?" Fang exclaimed. "Why?"

"Ah, so you noticed," Jeb chuckled. "It's for science, Nicolas. For the betterment of the human race."

"It's illegal," Fang breathed as the girl fell to the ground, curling into a ball. She had managed to take down two of the wolf-humans, but the other three were just too much for her.

"You really don't know how the government runs, kid," Jeb stated. "There are many secrets hidden from the general population. This little science lab here is one of them."

Fang cringed as a sharp pain went through his back. The wolf-humans took a few more hits at the girl before leaving.

"Now, Nicolas," Jeb began. "This is going to hurt. A lot. But in the end, if you survive, you'll be my second success with avian DNA."

A doctor- or scientist, Fang wasn't sure- entered the room as the wall returned to normal. He removed everything attached to Fang and took all of the equipment out of the room. As soon as the door was locked, the metal cuffs retreated into the bed. Fang fell to the floor. The bed sunk down into the ground.

Fang tried to stand, but couldn't. The pain in his back was spreading to his shoulders, arms, and legs. It felt like fire going through his body. Before long the pain was too much and he slowly fell into darkness.

"Welcome to the Angel Experiment!" Jeb exclaimed.

* * *

**MAX POV**

I sat on top of a worktable, swinging my legs. Jeb told me I'd be getting a friend today. I was looking forward to it, though I knew how awful his or her life would be from here on out. I was just too bored and alone to really care.

It was February 20th. How did I know this? After more than a month of aloneness and testing, I was given a pseudo-job. Since I knew so much about the Angel Experiment already, and was so good at science, I was given work in a lab. I hated it, but it kept away most of the pain. It wasn't all that bad, the job. It kept me busy. I was only alone at night.

I was given the job on the condition I stop fighting back. I was ready to give up, anyway. I quit believing I could escape or would be rescued. Three months had gone by and no one bothered to get me. Jeb and the lab was all I knew now.

Back to my new friend. I knew nothing about him or her. Jeb and the Whitecoats- the nickname I gave the evil men working here (I refused to call them scientists or doctors)- knew all the details but wouldn't tell me. It was driving me crazy.

A wolf-man came into the room, snapping me out of my thoughts. He was part human and part wolf, hence wolf-man. I shivered at the sight of him. These guys creeped me out. I had to fight them once a week, and always lost. Well, I was getting better, but not good enough.

The wolf-man opened my cage and motioned for me to get in. I complied, not wanting to get hurt again. He still took a good swipe at me, leaving me with a new bruise to form on my cheek.

The wolf-man hurried away. I was left in silence for a few hours, dozing off and on. I never knew when I'd have to get up again, so I took every chance I had to sleep.

Suddenly I heard the door slam open. I was wide-awake instantly, on guard. For what, I wasn't sure. But I was ready.

"Get the hell off me!" a young male's voice cried.

"Get him in a cage, _now!_" a Whitecoat hollered. That would be George.

"He bit me!" another Whitecoat exclaimed. Eric.

I heard the sound of someone being slapped.

"What the hell?" the male cried out. "Get off me! You can't put me in a ****** cage!"

Suddenly I saw my new "friend". Two wolf-men had wrestled him to the ground. His head was facing me. His eyes widened seeing me as his struggling momentarily froze. Recognition flashed in his eyes as he met mine.

His lapse in attention was enough for the others to make their move. The boy was shoved into the larger cage across from my own. He started cursing and shaking the bars, trying to break them. But I knew he couldn't. The bars were too strong.

The wolf-men laughed as they left. I heard pen on paper. The Whitecoats were probably documenting the boy's behavior. Before long they left as well.

I sat in my cage patiently, waiting for the boy's anger to ware off. If there was one thing I was good at, it was being patient.

About half an hour passed before he stopped trying to break the bars. Black wings unfurled from his back and wrapped around him as he resigned himself temporarily to his predicament.

Wings. He definitely was my new "friend".

We just sat and stared at each other for a while. Finally I decided to start up a conversation.

"Um, I'm Max," I announced. "What's your name?"

The boy looked at me funny. I sighed. Maybe he was like the others... No, wait. I already heard him talk. Maybe he was scared?

"Fang," the boy finally said, long after I'd given up on the conversation.

I smirked. "Fang?" I wondered. "What kind of name is that?"

The boy- Fang- shrugged.

"How long have you been here?" I wondered.

"Month," Fang answered softly.

"I've been here for three months," I said. "Since December."

Fang didn't say anything else. We were quiet for about twenty minutes. Finally I unfurled my tawny wings and wrapped them around my own body. I was getting cold.

Fang's eyes widened. "Oh," he whispered. "You're that girl..."

I frowned, not sure what he meant. Fang just shook his head and looked around the room, mostly at the other cages.

"We're the only ones," I informed him. "For now. But Jeb-" Fang winced- "promised more would come."

We were silent for a few minutes.

"So, you bit a Whitecoat?" I asked, breaking the silence.

Fang grinned. It was an amazing sight. "Yeah."

"So where are you from?" I wondered after another few minutes of silence.

"New York," Fang answered.

"The city?" I asked. Fang nodded. "I was wondering why you had such a funny accent."

"You should talk," Fang replied. "You?"

"I'm from Arizona, but was living in Washington when I came here," I said.

"How'd they get you?" Fang wondered. I could see he was warming up to me. Good. Maybe I would have a friend after all.

"Hmmm?" I questioned.

"Well, my mom technically sold me," Fang informed me. "She got me drunk so I wouldn't fight."

"Your _mom _got you _drunk_?" I asked, first amazed at how many words he just used and the amazed at what he actually said. "What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing," Fang snapped. "Wasn't the first time."

I shivered at the darkness in his voice. "Sorry," I snapped back. "Not everyone's parents are so... lenient."

Fang blinked. I guess the malice in my own voice surprised him. Heck, it surprised me even.

"Tell me about yourself, Max," Fang requested, his voice quiet once again.

"You first," I replied.

We had a glaring contest for a few minutes then. Fang finally sighed, scratching his head. "Stubborn as a mule," he muttered, looking away.

"And proud of it," I responded. "Talk."

"Well, I'm fifteen and a freshman," Fang began. "I lived with my parents in an apartment in the city. My mom's young, just thirty. My dad's not much older, thirty-four, and an alcoholic. Alcohol is the answer to everything at home, so I've grown up drinking. You?"

"I'm fifteen and a sophomore," I told him. "I lived with my mom and her husband and my two half-siblings. They're both older. Roy was um, never-mind. And yeah."

Fang snorted. "Great history."

I shrugged.

"So how did you get here?" Fang questioned.

"Uh, Jeb is technically my father," I answered. "So Roy just sent me here. He's getting money out of it, too."

Fang's eyes widened. "Jeb's your _father_?" he asked. I nodded. "That sucks."

"I know," I muttered. "Just my luck, right?"

I yawned. I was exhausted.

"Sleep," Fang encouraged. I nodded. He had dark circled around his eyes and looked ready to sleep himself.

"You too," I replied, curling into a little ball in my cage. "You never know when they'll come in for testing or whatnot."

Fang nodded once, but made no move to relax. Maybe after I fell asleep he would. Thankfully I was extremely tired and sleep overcame me surprisingly quickly. I guess I felt safe with Fang there.

* * *

**Well, how was it? In my first draft of this chapter Fang talked too much so I had to fix it three times to be more Fangish. I still think he talks too much but he already trusts Max, so I figured it's all good! Almost a month goes by between Fang POV and Max POV by the way! Fang hadn't seen Max since she was fighting the Erasers (not quite sure how to introduce that name to the story) and Max obviously has never seen Fang. I think I'll do one more Max/Fang chapter before Iggy comes into play. **

**Iggy... That chapter is interesting! My sister, Malfoyy, wrote it. It's kind of a team effort here. She's so in love with Iggy! And he's... Well, you'll see!**

**Reviews, lovely people of Earth, Middle Earth, and wherever else you hail from!**

**-Krisuvial-**


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